Analysis of the Effects Special Pays Have on Retention in the Medical Service Corps

摘要

This thesis examines the effects special pays have on retention in the Medical Service Corps (MSC). The research utilized special pay guidance and data from the Bureau of Medicine Information System (BUMIS) on officers who entered the MSC between 1997 and 2006. Four basic and refined probit models using demographics and specialties were constructed to determine the effects of special pays on retention. Each model included a difference in difference estimator to measure the effects over time. The basic model estimated the effect of special pays on all specialties that receive a special pay. The refined models estimated the effects of special pays on retention for individual specialties, specifically psychologists, pharmacists, and optometrists. Findings showed that when special pays are implemented, specialties that receive them have a decreased probability of leaving the service. Individually, pharmacists and psychologists had a decreased probability of leaving when their respective special pays were implemented. Optometrists had an increased probability of leaving when their special pay was implemented, a result that requires further research.